Innocent Muslims in Mumbai targeted, MPs tell Kalam, urge action

New Delhi, July 26 (UNI) Alleging that the entire Muslim population of Mumbai was being targeted in the wake of the serial blasts, Samajwadi Party MPs and eminent Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande today urged President A P J Abdul Kalam to see that the injustice was stopped.

A delegation comprising four SP MPs and nominated MP Ms Deshpande today called on the President and submitted a memorandum to him condemning the blasts as inhuman and urging him to take necessary action to stop harassment of innocent Muslims.

''Islam gives great value to human lives. An act of terrorism perpetrated by some misguided Muslim cannot be said as 'Islamic Terrorism', and the whole Muslim community cannot be blamed for it, the memoramdum submitted to the President said.

Ms Deshpande and SP MPs Abu Asim Azmi, Mohan Singh, Shahid Siddiquiand Uday Pratap Singh said that after the bomb blasts, mass combing of operations were organised in Muslim dominated areas of Mumbai and around like Malvani-Malad, Kurla, Govandi, Chembur, Mahim in the name of police investigation.

''Innocent Muslims were brought to police stations and made to sit in the open for hours in the night. Their pictures were allowed to be published in newspapers and telecast by the electronic media.

This type of reaction to the blasts will create distrust and ill-will, and vitiate communal harmony'' they said in the memo.

The delegation Members said that while the government, police and a section of the media immediately jumped to the conclusion that Muslim organisations were behind the blasts, they did not care to examine the role of other bodies like Bajrang Dal which they accused of giving bomb-making training to its activists.

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